,,drawings ,,of ,,david ,,cox           
,illustration3 ,,modern ,,master        
,,draughtsmen                           
,illustration3 ,,frontispiece ,,plate ,i
                           ,,unfinished 
,,water-,,colour                        
,,drawings ,,of                         
,,david ,,cox                           
,illustration                           
,,london4,,george ,,newnes ,,limited    
,,southampton ,,street ,,strand ,w4,c4  
,,new ,,york4,,charles ,,scribner',s    
,,sons                                  
,,the ,,ballantyne ,,press              
,,tavistock ,,st41 ,,london             
,,list ,,of ,,illustrations             
44444,,plate    ,,unfinished            
,,water-,,colour44444,frontispiece44444,
i    ,,old ,,westminster44444,,ii       
,,peasants ,,on ,,horseback44444,,iii   
,a ,,roadside ,,cottage44444,,iv        
,,near ,,dinas ,,mowddwy1               
,,merionethshire44444,v    ,a ,,fishing 
,,village44444,,vi    ,,near            
,,kenilworth44444,,vii                  

,,chepstow44444,,viii    ,,scene ,,in   
,,north ,,wales44444,,ix    ,a ,,village
 ,,street44444,x    ,,foreground        
,,study44444,,xi    ,,chepstow ,,bridge 
,,and ,,castle44444,,xii    ,,study ,,of
 ,,trees44444,,xiii    ,,view ,,in      
,,north ,,wales44444,,xiv    ,,early    
,,morning ,,mist44444,,xv               
,,llanrwst44444,,xvi                    
,,hardwick44444,,xvii    ,,near         
,,birmingham44444,,xviii    ,,autumn    
,,woods44444,,xix    ,,kirkby           
,,stephen44444,,xx    ,,mountain ,,and  
,,stream1 ,,north ,,wales44444,,xxi     
,,architectural ,,study44444,,xxii      
,,goodrich ,,castle44444,,xxiii         
,,near ,,kenilworth ,,castle44444,,xxiv 
,,the ,,salt ,,marsh44444,,xxv          
,,knole ,,house1 ,,kent44444,,xxvi      
,,the ,,beach44444,,xxvii    ,,windy    
,,weather44444,,xxviii    ,a ,,study    
,,of ,,trees44444,,xxix    ,,carnarvon  
,,castle44444,,xxx    ,,on ,,the        
,,moor44444,,xxxi    ,,clapham1         
,,yorkshire44444,,xxxii    ,,the ,,hill 

,,side44444,,xxxiii    ,,low            
,,tide44444,,xxxiv    ,,llaugharne      
,,castle1 ,,carmarthen ,,bay44444,,xxxv 
,,sketch ,,of ,,rocks ,,and             
,,castle44444,,xxxvi    ,,dutch ,,coast 
,,scene44444,,xxxvii    ,,scene ,,in    
,,north ,,wales44444,,xxxviii    ,,near 
,,radlett44444,,xxxix    ,,near         
,,kenilworth44444,,xl                   
,,rotterdam44444,,xli    ,,trefriw1     
,,near ,,llanrwst44444,,xlii    ,,the   
,,inn ,,yard44444,,xliii    ,,old       
,,westminster44444,,xliv                
,,david ,,cox    ,,by ,,alexander ,j4   
,,finberg      ,the greatest artists    
have expressed themselves so completely 
in their  works1 that the story of their
 lives adds little or nothing to our    
knowledge of their personality4 ,we know
 very little about the life of          
,turner--almost as little1 indeed1 as we
 know of ,shakespeare's--but in  neither
 case do we seem to have missed anything
 that would add to our  comprehension or
 enjoyment of their work4 ,with ,turner1

 as with  ,shakespeare1 his art was the 
perfect organ of his spirit4 ,his       
pictures  enshrine more of the real     
personality of the artist than even a   
biographer of genius with unlimited     
opportunities could tell us4 ,but       
though this is almost invariably true of
 the greatest artists1 it is not  true  
of all artists4 ,it is hardly the case  
with ,david ,cox4 ,his hampered1        
thwarted art is indeed replete with     
glimpses and hints of the  personality  
behind it2 but without a commentary it  
is not very eloquent  or very likely to 
arrest attention4 ,the artist's life    
furnishes the  needed commentary4 ,the  
beautiful simplicity and navet of the   
man's  character1 the mean circumstances
 in which his life was cast1 the        
fortitude1 industry1 and manliness with 
which he triumphed over his             
difficulties--these things explain much 
that seems at first sight futile  in his
 art and colour even his worst failures 
with a glow of purely  human sympathy4  

,and the works of his old age--his most 
eloquent and  self-subsistent           
productions1 i4e41 the works of ,cox    
that stand least  in need of a          
commentary--these lose nothing of their 
compelling power  from the spectator's  
consciousness of the difficulties       
through which the  artist's spirit had  
to struggle towards self-realisation and
 expression4    ,cox was born on ,april 
#bi1 #aghc1 in a small house1 surrounded
 by  workshops and small forges in      
,heath ,mill ,lane1 ,deritend1 a poor   
suburb  on the south-east side of       
,birmingham4 ,his father1 ,joseph ,cox1 
followed  the calling of a blacksmith   
and whitesmith1 forging gun-barrels1    
bayonets1 horse-shoes and similar       
articles4 ,he appears to have been an   
industrious and thriving artificer1     
while ,cox's mother1 who was better     
educated than his father1 was a woman of
 forcible character1 highly  religious  
feelings and natural good sense4        
,when about six or seven years old ,cox 

was sent to one of the day schools  in  
,birmingham4 ,at this time he fell over 
a door-scraper and broke his  leg4 ,this
 accident was the cause of his first    
introduction to art1 for a  cousin gave 
him a box of paints to amuse himself    
with during the  confinement which he   
had to endure whilst his leg was in     
splints4  ,david's first artistic       
efforts were confined to daubing the    
kites which  his school companions      
brought to him4 ,but he was so delighted
 with the  colours that when he         
recovered he procured some paper and set
 to work  copying a number of small     
engravings4    ,after recovering from   
his accident he returned to school for a
 short  time1 but was soon withdrawn and
 set to work in his father's shop4 ,but 
he was by no means a strong lad1 and a  
short trial convinced his father  that  
he was not fitted for so laborious a    
craft4 ,with the idea of  qualifying him
 for apprenticeship to one of the       
toy-trades of  ,birmingham1 he was sent 

in the evenings to a drawing school in  
the  neighbourhood1 where he is said to 
have made great progress4 ,at the age   
of fifteen ,david was considered capable
 of assisting in the  ornamentation of  
snuff-boxes1 lockets1 buttons and       
buckles4 ,he was  apprenticed to a      
locket and miniature painter named      
,fielder4 ,the  apprenticeship1 however1
 only lasted about a year and a half1 as
 it was  brought to an abrupt           
termination by the suicide of his       
master4    ,after this tragical         
termination of his brief experience as a
 locket  painter and decorator ,cox's   
cousin got him an engagement with the   
scene-painters employed at the          
,birmingham theatre4 ,his business was  
to  grind the colours and run errands   
for the painters4 ,in the evenings he   
was enabled to resume his studies at his
 old drawing class4    ,the chief       
scene-painter at the theatre1 which was 
leased and managed by  the elder        
,macready1 was an ,italian named ,de    

,maria4 ,cox watched ,de  ,maria's work 
with great admiration1 and after a time 
he was allowed to  assist him in        
painting the side scenes4 ,upon ,de     
,maria's departure from  the theatre    
,cox was permanently engaged with       
,macready as scene painter1  touring    
with his company1 and even playing small
 parts when occasion  demanded it4 ,at  
one small country place it is said that 
he played the  part of the clown4       
,however1 the manager's hasty temper led
 to quarrels1  and these1 together with 
his mother's entreaties1 led ,cox to    
terminate  his engagement about the year
 #ahjc4    ,receiving an offer of       
employment from ,astley1 the proprietor 
of ,astley's  circus1 ,cox1 at the age  
of twenty-one1 moved to ,london4        
,astley's offer  coming to nothing the  
artist had a hard time of it4 ,he       
executed various  odd commissions for   
scenery for provincial theatres and     
disposed of  small drawings at the      
modest rate of two guineas a dozen to   

various  ,london dealers4 ,london1      
however1 offered more opportunities for 
study  than ,birmingham1 and ,cox made  
the most of them4 ,he managed to become 
possessed of a collection of indifferent
 etchings from paintings by  ,poussin1  
,salvator ,rosa and ,claude1 which had  
been published by ,pond  between #agda  
and #agdf4 ,these he copied and studied 
for the sake of their  composition and  
arrangement of light and shade1 and a   
dealer named  ,simpson1 who kept a shop 
in ,greek ,street1 ,soho1 allowed him to
 make a  large copy in water-colour of a
 fine painting by ,poussin which hung in
  his shop4 ,cox's first important      
picture was based on the arrangement and
  effect of this ,poussin4 ,it is a     
drawing of ,kenilworth ,castle1 an      
autotype of it being published in ,mr4  
,neal ,solly's admirable 8,memoir of    
the ,life of ,david ,cox0 7,chapman     
,hall1 #ahgc71 a volume to which we are 
indebted for the details of the artist's
 early life4 ,the ,kenilworth in  ,mr4  

,solly's opinion cannot be dated later  
than #ahjf or #ahjg2 and to  judge from 
the photographic reproduction it is     
especially interesting as  an example of
 the imitative methods which were rife  
among the artists of  those days4 ,the  
works of the older and more successful  
masters were  accepted as models to be  
copied and imitated4    ,in this        
connection it may be not impertinent to 
recall the account which  ,edward ,dayes
 7,girtin's master7 has left us of the  
method of education by  which ,turner's 
powers were developed4 8,the ways he    
7,turner7 acquired his  professional    
powers was by borrowing where he could a
 drawing or a  picture to copy from1 or 
by making a sketch of any one in the    
,exhibition  early in the morning1 and  
finishing it at home40 ,so that ,cox was
 not  alone in devoting his early       
practice to works of art1 rather than to
 the  works of nature4    ,in pursuance 
of this plan of appropriating what he   
could from the  practice and methods of 

the proficients in the art1 ,cox        
determined to  take lessons from the    
living as well as from the dead4 ,for   
some time his  choice hesitated between 
,john ,varley1 ,john ,glover1 and       
,william ,havell4  ,he finally decided  
to go to ,varley1 who treated him with  
much kindness4  ,varley1 who was only   
five years older than ,cox1 was one of  
the most  successful teachers of the    
time1 and1 in addition to ,cox1 he      
numbered  ,mulready1 ,w4 ,h4 ,hunt1     
,linnell1 ,samuel ,palmer1 ,copley      
,fielding1 and ,de  ,windt among his    
pupils4 ,his early manner was modelled  
largely on the  practice of ,john       
,cozens and ,girtin2 and the simplicity1
 directness and  dignity of much of     
,cox's early work is certainly due to   
the  thoroughness with which ,varley had
 mastered the traditions of the  earlier
 ,english water-colour painters1 and to 
his capacities as a  teacher4 ,the      
second plate in this volume is a        
reproduction of one of  ,cox's drawings 

of this period4 ,the original           
water-colour1 ,old  ,westminster1 is    
probably one of the most successful of  
,cox's purely  architectural drawings2  
it might almost pass for a ,girtin4     
,in #ahje1 ,cox made his first journey  
into ,wales4 ,he supported himself at   
this time by working up the sketches    
made on such tours1 and by chance       
commissions for scenery4 ,a bill is     
still in existence1 dated ,february     
#ae1 #ahjh1 for 8painting #caj yards of 
scenery at #ds4 per square yard40  ,the 
year when he executed this lucrative    
commission was the year of his  marriage
 to the eldest daughter of the landlady 
in whose house at  ,lambeth ,cox had    
lodged since his arrival in ,london4    
,his wife1 who was  eight years his     
senior1 is said to have been a slight1  
delicate woman1  of a naturally cheerful
 disposition4 ,the young couple rented a
 small  cottage at the corner of        
,dulwich ,common1 8just past the        
,college on the  road to the right40    

,dulwich ,common at that time was a wild
 and lonely  spot1 much frequented by   
gypsies1 whose donkeys and picturesque  
rags and  surroundings formed excellent 
material for the young artist's         
compositions4    ,to eke out his meagre 
resources1 ,cox now turned his attention
 to  teaching4 ,he was fortunate enough 
to attract the attention of ,colonel    
the ,hon4 ,h4 ,windsor 7afterwards ,earl
 of ,plymouth71 who took many lessons   
from him1 and introduced and recommended
 him to several families of             
distinction4 ,but the times were bad for
 artists1 and the newly married  couple 
must have found it hard work to make    
both ends meet4 ,from some  extracts    
from the artist's account book1 which   
,mr4 ,solly has printed1 we  learn that 
,cox's prices for lessons ranged from   
#gs4 to #ajs4 ,between  #ahaa and #ahad 
the prices he got for his drawings      
ranged from  half-a-guinea up to five   
guineas4 ,his average price seems to    
have been  about a guinea a drawing2 but

 on ,november #cj1 #ahaa1 he sold a     
dozen for  #hs4 each4    ,nearly every  
year during his residence in ,london1   
,cox made a journey to  visit his old   
father and his other friends at         
,birmingham4 ,the sketch  book he used  
on his #ahaj visit is still in          
existence1 and ,plate ,,xviii41  a      
drawing of some half-timbered houses    
8near ,birmingham10 represents the      
contents of one of its pages4 ,the      
drawings are all made on rough blue     
paper2 and among the other subjects     
contained in this singularly            
interesting book are some striking      
studies of scenes down a mine at        
,dudley1 and sketches at and near       
,kenilworth4 ,the handling is not so    
loose as in ,cox's later work2 but what 
the drawings lack in freedom is  more   
than compensated by their directness and
 admirable restraint1 as  our           
reproduction amply proves4    ,during   
the period of the artist's early married
 life he had many  difficulties to      

contend with4 ,the long war with ,france
 had depressed  trade1 made living dear1
 and people generally had little to     
spare for  articles of luxury4 ,but ,cox
 worked away steadily at his art1       
forming  himself on the best models4    
,this was the time when ,turner was     
painting  what many artists consider are
 among the finest landscapes that have  
ever been produced by an ,english       
artist4 ,his ,sun rising through        
,vapour1 the picture which now hangs in 
the ,national ,gallery beside the       
,claudes1 was exhibited in #ahjg1 the   
,spithead in #ahji1 and the superb      
,windsor1 ,abingdon1 ,greenwich1 and    
,frosty ,morning1 were all  painted and 
exhibited within the next few years4    
,the first number of the  8,liber10 too1
 appeared in #ahjg2 and as one turns    
over the plates that  were issued in the
 earlier numbers--designs like the      
,flint ,castle1  ,barn and ,straw ,yard1
 ,pembury ,mill1 ,morpeth1 and ,lock and
  ,mill--it is easy to imagine the      

influence they must have exerted on the 
formation of ,cox's art4 ,we have it on 
,mr4 ,solly's authority that 8no  artist
 appreciated ,turner's genius more than 
,cox did10 and he  illustrates this with
 a charming anecdote of ,cox's          
reproduction from  memory of ,turner's  
picture of ,kingston ,bank 7now in the  
,national  ,gallery74 ,mr4 ,solly also  
states that ,cox was one of the earliest
  subscribers to the 8,liber10 and he   
adds1 8that he did so at this time1     
when his means were so straitened1 is a 
proof how highly he prized this         
admirable work40 ,the remark is         
perfectly just1 though it may be worth  
remembering that those were the times   
when ordinary issues of the  8,liber0   
were still to be had for a modest #aes4 
for a part containing  five plates4     
,with such models before his eyes it is 
not surprising to find that ,cox's  work
 at this period is characterised by a   
breadth of style1 a feeling of  repose1 
and an absence of any attempt at        

superficial prettiness or               
drawing-master dexterity4 ,but though   
,cox became a member of the ,society  of
 ,painters in ,water-,colour in #ahac1  
and contributed no less than  seventeen 
drawings to its ,exhibition1 few of them
 found purchasers4 ,in  the summer of   
this year ,cox was glad to accept an    
appointment as teacher  of drawing at   
the ,military ,college at ,farnham4 ,but
 the work and military  discipline to   
which he had to submit proved irksome1  
and at the end of a  term or two he was 
allowed to retire4 ,soon after this1 in 
#ahad1 ,cox went  to ,hereford1 having  
accepted a post as drawing-master at a  
young ladies'  school4 ,this new        
appointment carried with it the         
magnificent salary of  #ajj a year1 but 
he had to teach only twice a week1 and  
he was at  liberty to take private      
pupils4    ,the removal to ,hereford1   
where the artist remained for thirteen  
years1  is rightly regarded by ,cox's   
biographers as an important event in his

  life4 ,he went there penniless1 having
 indeed to borrow #dj to defray the     
expenses of his removal1 and he left    
there with at least a thousand  pounds  
to the good4 ,the money1 it is true1 was
 amassed slowly and with  difficulty1   
and it was earned rather by incessant   
teaching than by  original artistic     
productivity4 ,but the town was         
pleasantly situated2  the ,wye winds    
round the city walls1 and ,wales is not 
far distant4 ,cox  had opportunities for
 familiarising himself with all the     
details of  rustic business--with       
ploughing1 haymaking1 reaping1 and      
sowing2 and in  his constant journeyings
 to and fro for the purpose of giving   
lessons  his memory became stored with  
images of all kinds of weather and all  
kinds of effects4    ,all the coloured  
reproductions in the present volume     
represent drawings  made during the     
artist's residence in ,hereford4 ,the   
,chepstow ,bridge and  ,castle 7,plate  
,,xii47 was probably one of the results 

of ,cox's first  sketching tour after   
his removal1 and this very drawing may  
possibly  have formed one of the        
exhibits which he sent to the ,society  
of ,painters  in ,water-,colour in      
#ahaf4 ,plate ,,xxiii4 may represent the
 sketch made for  the picture of        
,goodrich ,castle on the ,wye1 which the
 artist exhibited  in #ahai4 ,in both   
the drawings1 as in the unfinished      
,frontispiece1 the  colour scheme is    
less severe than in the earlier         
,westminster4 ,they are  less like      
,girtin's than like early ,cotmans2 and 
though they lack  something of ,cotman's
 fastidiousness of selection1 and the   
aristocratic  charm of his              
draughtsmanship and design1 they have a 
sobriety1 reserve  and seriousness of   
their own which must make them objects  
of delight to  their fortunate          
possessor4 ,the slightness of the       
execution of ,low ,tide  7,plate        
,,xxxiv47 is no hindrance to the        
poignant expression of its  sentiment4  

,unfortunately1 it has not been found   
convenient to reproduce  the            
magnificent--albeit                     
unfinished--water-colour1 entitled      
,autumn  ,woods1 in its original        
colours4 ,the half-tone reproduction    
7,plate  ,,xix471 however1 is useful as 
a suggestion of the simple dignity that 
reigns in this beautiful                
drawing--assuredly one of the finest    
works  produced during the artist's     
residence in ,hereford4    ,it is       
interesting to learn that the production
 in great quantities of  small drawings 
like those we have reproduced in colour1
 and his onerous  duties of teaching1   
did not exhaust ,cox's energies4 ,at    
that time ,cox was  something of a      
politician4 ,very naturally he took     
great delight in the  raciness and      
full-flavoured eloquence of ,cobbett's  
8,register02 and in  #ahbj1 when ,joseph
 ,hume visited ,hereford1 ,cox1 as one  
of the advanced  ,liberals of the       
locality1 formed one of the committee of

 reception1 and  with two others        
subscribed to present the reformer with 
a hogshead of  the best ,herefordshire  
cider4 ,a public dinner was organised at
 which to  make the presentation1 and on
 his return home in the evening ,cox    
decided  to celebrate so important a day
 by planting a number of acorns and     
chestnuts in his garden4 ,but ,cox's    
reforming zeal was not always  satisfied
 with such unaggressive results4 ,as a  
protest against the  policy of the      
,government which led to the imposition 
of high taxes on  tea1 beer and other   
articles of domestic consumption1 he    
determined to  slake his thirst with    
non-dutiable beverages4 ,he religiously 
drank  ,hunt's roasted corn for a time1 
but finding the concoction unpalatable  
he invented a beverage of his own4 ,he  
and his unfortunate family drank a      
concoction made from new hay in place of
 tea-leaves as a morning  beverage2 but1
 in the long run1 the iniquitous revenue
 triumphed4    ,even now1 however1 we   

have not come to the end of ,cox's      
multifarious  activities during this    
period4 ,besides being an amateur       
agitator and  gardener1 a prolific      
artist in water colour1 and an          
overworked teacher1  he seems to have   
turned author as well4 ,in #ahad he     
published an  educational work on       
landscape art1 called3 8,a ,treatise on 
,landscape  ,painting and ,effect in    
,water-,colours1 from the first         
,rudiments to the  finished ,picture1   
with ,examples in ,outline ,effect and  
,colouring40 ,this  was illustrated by a
 number of soft-ground etchings4 ,it was
 followed1 in  #ahaf1 by 8,progressive  
,lessons in ,landscape for ,young       
,beginners10 a  series of twenty-four   
soft-ground etchings without            
letterpress2 and in  #ahbe1 his 8,young 
,artist's ,companion1 or ,drawing-,book 
of ,studies10  appeared4 ,it was perhaps
 as a preliminary study for one of the  
illustrations to these volumes that the 
pen and ink drawing reproduced  in      

,plate ,,xiv4 was made4 ,at any rate the
 interest of these publications  depends
 rather upon the illustrations than upon
 the letterpress1 many of  the etchings 
containing the first ideas of subjects  
which later had  great success as       
water-colours2 the etchings of ,changing
 ,pasture and  ,going to the ,mill1 for 
example1 furnished the subjects of some 
of  ,cox's latest paintings4 ,it has    
also been rumoured that ,cox was not    
entirely responsible for the            
letterpress1 being indebted for         
assistance  in its composition to some  
unknown 8clergyman40 ,however this may  
be1 it  is pretty certain that the      
opinions must have been those which ,cox
  himself held4 ,and as the opinions of 
a great artist as to the aim and  scope 
of his own art are always of interest it
 may be advisable to  quote a passage or
 two from these books1 even though some 
other hand may  have corrected the      
artist's grammar and inflated his       
periods4    ,in the 8,treatise0 ,cox    

writes3 8,the principal art of          
,landscape ,painting  consists in       
conveying to the mind the most forcible 
effect which can be  produced from the  
various classes of scenery4444 ,this is 
the grand  principle upon which         
pictorial excellence hinges1 as many    
pleasing  objects1 the combination of   
which renders a piece perfect1 are      
frequently passed over by an observer   
because the whole of the  composition is
 not under the influence of a suitable  
effect4 ,thus a  cottage or a village   
scene requires a soft and simple        
admixture of tones  calculated to       
produce pleasure without astonishment4  
,on the contrary1  the structures of    
greatness and antiquity should be marked
 by a  character of awful sublimity1    
suited to the dignity of the subjects1  
indenting on the mind a reverential and 
permanent impression1 and giving  at    
once a corresponding and unequivocal    
grandeur to the picture4 ,much  depends 
on the classification of the objects1   

which should wear a  magnificent        
uniformity1 and much on the colouring1  
the tones of which  should be deep and  
impressive4    8,in the selection of a  
subject from nature the student should  
ever keep  in view the principal object 
which induced him to make the sketch1   
whether it be mountains1 a castle1 group
 of trees1 a cornfield1 river  scene1 or
 any other object4 ,the prominence of   
this leading feature in  the piece      
should be duly supported throughout2 the
 character of the  picture should be    
derived from it2 every other object     
introduced should  be subservient to it1
 and the attraction of the one should be
 the  attraction of the whole4 ,the     
union of too great a variety of parts   
tends  to destroy1 or at least to       
weaken1 the predominance of that which  
ought  to be the principal of the       
composition1 and which the student1 when
 he  comes to the colouring1 should be  
careful to characterise by turning  upon
 it the strongest light4 ,all objects   

which are not in character with  the    
scenes should be most carefully avoided1
 as the introduction of any  unnecessary
 object is sure to be attended with     
injurious consequences4  ,this must     
prove the necessity of becoming         
thoroughly acquainted with and          
obtaining a proper feeling of the       
subject4 ,the picture should be         
complete and perfect in the mind before 
it is ever traced upon canvas4  ,such   
force and expression should be displayed
 as would render the effect  at the     
first glance intelligible to the        
observer4 ,merely to paint is not       
enough1 for when no interest is felt    
nothing is more natural than that  none 
should be conveyed40    ,and again3     
8,the last and surest method of         
obtaining instruction from  the works of
 others is not so much by copying them  
as by drawing the  same subjects from   
nature immediately after a critical     
examination of  them1 while they are    
fresh in the memory4 ,thus they are seen

 through the  same medium1 and imitated 
upon the same principles1 without       
preventing  the introduction of         
sufficient alterations to give          
originality of  manner1 or incurring the
 risk of being degraded into a mere     
imitator40    ,in the frequent wordiness
 and emptiness of parts of these        
passages it is  easy to trace the hand  
of the friendly clergyman4 ,but through 
it all one  can catch the echoes of     
,cox's own convictions4 ,he has realised
 very  clearly the need that the colour 
and light and shade of a drawing should 
be emotionally expressive as well as    
merely explanatory4 ,cox was no  realist
 in the shallow sense of the term2 he   
was as convinced an  idealist as        
,reynolds himself1 and as firmly opposed
 to the scientific  and abstract        
conception of art as a merely optical   
exercise divorced  from the primary     
feelings and emotions of humanity4      
,after thirteen years' residence in     
,hereford1 ,cox determined to return to 

,london4 ,he felt the need for          
opportunities of intercourse with his   
brother artists and for a wider scope   
for his art4 ,when he had left  ,london 
at the end of #ahad he had been         
surrounded by difficulties1 and  his    
prospects had seemed far from bright4   
,but in #ahbg the outlook had           
brightened4 ,the trade of the country1  
fostered by many years of peace1  was   
now flourishing1 and ,cox himself was   
now possessed of a certain but  very    
small income4 ,for though ,cox's name   
was by this time fairly well  known in  
the world of art he had often to face   
the unpleasant experience  of finding   
the whole of the twenty or thirty       
drawings he had exhibited  with the     
,water ,colour ,society returned unsold4
 ,when his drawings did  sell they      
commanded only very small prices1 as the
 following entry from  his account book 
shows3         8#ahcj4          ,july   
#e4 ,five water-colour drawings1 viz41  
,calais ,pier1 ,view in                 

,ghent1 ,boat in the ,scheldt near      
,dort1 ,minehead1 and                   
,landscape in ,wales--price for the     
five1 #ab40    ,it was not till about   
#ahcf that anything like a sustained    
demand for his  work came into          
existence4 ,even then1 it was only his  
smaller drawings  that he could readily 
dispose of1 and these only at the modest
 prices of  #e or #f each4              
,consequently1 in ,london as in         
,hereford1 it was upon his  work as a   
drawing-master that ,cox had to rely for
 the main part of his  income4    ,it   
can scarcely be doubted that the effect 
upon ,cox's art of this  constant       
drudgery of teaching was mischievous4   
,besides frittering away  the best part 
of his time1 thus preventing him from   
attempting works  that required         
sustained efforts1 it had a tendency to 
force a mechanical  and facile dexterity
 upon his style--a quality hopelessly at
 variance  with all the most sincerely  
felt contents of his work4 ,for the     

business  of the drawing-master in those
 days was very different from that which
  now devolves upon an art-master4      
,to-day a teacher of art does little    
more than criticise the work which his  
pupils produce4 ,in ,cox's time a       
drawing-master had to go from one       
pupil's house to another1 making a      
display of his own accomplishments4 ,his
 lessons resolved themselves into  the  
making of show pieces4 ,he sat down     
before the pupil and 8showed how  it was
 done10 and the professional success of 
the teacher depended  largely upon the  
admiration he could excite in his pupils
 or their  parents and guardians at the 
apparent ease and rapidity with which he
  could manufacture plausible imitations
 of works of art4 ,that the habit  of   
working to excite the astonishment of   
the ignorant and uncritical  tended to  
bring something of commonness into      
,cox's style can hardly be  doubted4    
,that the daily round of making a show  
of himself and his  beloved art must    

have been peculiarly galling to a man of
 ,cox's simple  and transparently honest
 nature1 needs little evidence4 ,we can 
scarcely  wonder when his sympathetic   
biographer tells us that at times he    
would  say to his wife1 8,oh1 ,mary1 ,i 
cannot go out this morning to teach--,i 
feel ,i cannot do it40 ,at these times  
it required all his wife's powers  of   
persuasion to induce him to overcome his
 repugnance2 often she had to  put on   
her bonnet and mantle and accompany him 
to the pupil's house4    ,in #ahdj1     
i4e41 at the age of fifty-seven1 ,cox   
determined to cut  himself free from    
these depressing duties1 and to devote  
the remainder  of his days to more      
purely artistic labours4 ,by his own and
 his wife's  frugality he had been able 
to save enough money to secure his old  
age  against want1 and his son1 who was 
now married and settled in ,london as   
an artist1 was able and willing to take 
over his father's teaching  connection4 
,besides1 ,cox was tired of the noise   

and bustle of ,london1  and anxious to  
live among more rural surroundings4 ,he 
therefore began to  look out for a house
 on the outskirts of ,birmingham1 his   
native town4  ,his choice fell upon an  
old house in ,greenfield ,lane1 in the  
village of  ,harborne1 about two and a  
half miles from ,birmingham1 into which 
he and  his wife moved on ,june #bj1    
#ahda4    ,the house stood in a lane    
leading to ,harborne ,church1 beyond    
which  meadows and open country         
stretched out in the direction of       
,hagley4 ,the  garden was a large one1  
surrounded on both sides by trees1 and  
,cox took  great interest in it1 often  
working there himself4 ,he enjoyed      
cultivating broad-leaved plants1 such as
 rhubarb and the various kinds  of      
docks1 and he was especially fond of    
,scotch thistles and hollyhocks4  ,at   
,harborne1 he spent some of the happiest
 years of his life2 he was  happy in his
 home1 in his work1 and in his          
surroundings4 ,as ,mr4 ,solly  says1    

8,cox's wants were few and simple2 his  
ambition took no flight  beyond the     
constant aim of his life1 namely1 to    
excel in the practice of  his art4 ,the 
inexhaustible wealth of nature1 his     
genius1 and the love of  his family and 
friends1 sufficed to fill his cup with  
more happiness  than is allotted to most
 men2 even when his steps were fast     
approaching  that goal to which all     
human efforts tend1 he was still serene 
and  generally cheerful40 ,we need not  
wonder that the most moving and         
powerful of all the artist's works were 
painted after his removal to  ,harborne4
    ,from #ahda to the end in #ahei1    
,cox's artistic career was one of       
unbroken1  though limited1 success4 ,the
 weight of years only strengthened the  
grim  certainty with which he grasped   
the essentials of his art4 ,all his     
drawing-master dexterity gradually fell 
away from him1 the trivialities  of     
imitative and explanatory art were      
quietly eliminated1 and his art  took on

 the simplicity1 the sincerity1 and     
rugged human dignity of the  man's own  
character4    ,of the visits to         
,bettwys-y-,coed1 of the painting of    
such masterpieces as  ,the ,welsh       
,funeral1 ,the ,peat ,gatherers1        
,lancaster ,sands1 ,green  ,lanes1 and  
,going to the ,hayfield1 of his superb  
work in oil colour1  and indeed of all  
the closing events of the artist's life1
 it is  impossible here to speak in     
detail4 ,the whole story has been well  
and  fully told by admiring friends like
 ,mr4 ,hall and ,mr4 ,solly1 who were   
intimately associated with the life they
 describe1 and to whose pages  the      
reader may be warmly recommended4       
,reproductions of a number of charcoal  
and chalk sketches belonging to  this   
later period of his life have been      
included in the present volume4  ,large 
charcoal drawings like ,the ,salt ,marsh
 7,plate ,,xxv471 ,the ,beach  7,plate  
,,xxvii471 ,windy ,weather 7,plate      
,,xxviii471 and ,the ,hill ,side        

7,plate ,,xxxiii471 lose something of   
their impressiveness when reduced in    
size1 as these have necessarily been1   
but enough remains1 even in this  form1 
of their freshness1 largeness of        
conception and sense of movement1  to   
delight the intelligent amateur4 ,no one
 at all susceptible to the  higher      
beauties of art could remain insensible 
to the fascination of the  bold1        
synthetic handling of ,the ,peasants on 
,horseback 7,plate ,,iii474 ,in  some of
 these late sketches--notably in the two
 ,near ,kenilworth  7,plates ,,vii4 and 
,,xxiv47--the loose1 flowing touch often
 seems a trifle  too disdainful of the  
individual forms of objects4 ,but when  
the artist  is serenely self-possessed  
his style is delightfully intimate and  
unbuttoned1 a candid revelation of his  
sympathies and moods4 ,when  thoroughly 
interested he becomes astonishingly     
vivid and succinct1 as in  the ,kirkby  
,stephen 7,plate ,,xx471 ,llanrwst      
7,plate ,,xvi471 and ,clapham1          

,yorkshire 7,plate ,,xxii474 ,how much  
his art had become a matter of  feeling 
and impulse is shown by the glaring way 
he fails when his  sympathies have not  
been aroused2 the draughtsmanship of the
  ,architectural ,study 7,plate ,,xxii47
 is about as bad as draughtsmanship  can
 well be--bald1 perfunctory1 external4  
,the pencil and stump drawing  of       
,carnarvon ,castle 7,plate ,,xxx471 for 
all its lightness and charm of          
atmospheric suggestion1 is 8mappy0 in   
draughtsmanship--its drawing being  mere
 8spacing10 without intimacy in the form
 or sympathy with the  structure4 ,the  
drawing of ,rotterdam 7,plate ,,xli47 is
 again external and  unsympathetic4     
,these drawings might well have been    
chosen as  illustrations of the truth of
 one of ,cox's own remarks3 8,merely to 
paint0 7or draw7 8is not enough1 for    
when no interest is felt nothing is     
more natural than that none should be   
conveyed40    ,from the passages quoted 
above from his 8,treatise on ,landscape 

,painting  and ,effect0--in which this  
remark occurs--it is evident that ,cox  
must be  classed among the ,idealists   
rather than among the ,realists or      
,naturalists4 ,the character of a       
picture1 he insists1 should be          
determined by the character and         
appropriate sentiments of its principal 
object2 8every other object introduced  
should be subservient to it1 and  the   
attraction of the one should be the     
attraction of the whole10 he  writes4   
,he insists upon the necessity 8of      
becoming thoroughly acquainted  with and
 obtaining a proper feeling of the      
subject10 and maintains that  8the      
picture should be complete and perfect  
in the mind before it is  ever traced   
upon the canvas40 ,and these were       
undoubtedly the principles  upon which  
his finest works were wrought4 ,it is   
obviously a mistake to  class such a man
 with the realists or naturalists who   
place scientific  before artistic       
considerations1 though it is easy to    

understand how the  ,mid-,victorians    
made such a blunder4 ,they confused what
 the language of  the schools describes 
as objective idealism with subjective   
idealism4  ,compared with the emptiness 
and vapidity of a ,barret1 ,cox may well
 have  seemed realistic and             
naturalistic4 ,but his work has nothing 
of the  disjunctive observation or      
cold-blooded1 rationalistic1            
inventory-making  of a typical realist  
like ,john ,brett4 ,cox paints what     
,reynolds has  called 8the unadulterated
 habits of nature40 ,he never aims at   
8deceiving the eye10 8nor will he waste 
a moment upon those smaller  objects    
which only serve to catch the sense0 and
 8divide the attention40  ,the one great
 design he always keeps in view is that 
of 8speaking to the  heart40    ,it     
would be useless to pretend that ,cox is
 altogether free from the  defects of   
his qualities4 ,he is often too general1
 vague and empty4  ,sometimes he is     
passive and timid1 as though he hoped to

 get his effects  by merely 8leaving    
out10 or by overlooking and scorning the
  individuality of natural objects4 ,but
 he possesses in abundance the  great   
and inspiriting virtues of the          
idealists1 as well as some of their     
defects4 ,he takes us away from the     
world of bare unrelated fact into       
regions where the human consciousness   
can beat its wings and feel glad4  ,his 
art is of the centre1 thoroughly typical
 and national4 ,he deals only  with     
essentials1 with those dumb longings and
 primary passions that form  the obscure
 groundwork of life itself4 ,his place  
is certainly among the  great figures of
 ,english art1 beside ,constable and    
,cozens and ,girtin1 as  one of the     
seers and prophets of the tenderness and
 strength of the  nation's character4   
,i should like to take this opportunity 
to thank ,mr4 ,a4 ,walker1 of #aah1     
,new ,bond ,street--to whose kindness   
the publishers and editor are  indebted 
for permission to publish this selection

 from ,cox's drawings  and sketches--for
 his courtesy in permitting me to       
examine at my leisure  the whole of the 
drawings1 sketches and sketch books of  
,david ,cox which  he is fortunate      
enough to possess4                      
,,illustrations    ,illustration3       
,,plate ,,ii    ,,old ,,westminster     
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii            
,,peasants ,,on ,,horseback             
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv    ,a       
,,roadside ,,cottage    ,illustration3  
,,plate ,v    ,,near ,,dinas ,,mowddwy1 
,,merionethshire    ,illustration3      
,,plate ,,vi    ,a ,,fishing ,,village  
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii    ,,near  
,,kenilworth    ,illustration3 ,,plate  
,,viii    ,,chepstow    ,illustration3  
,,plate ,,ix    ,,scene ,,in ,,north    
,,wales    ,illustration3 ,,plate ,x    
,a ,,village ,,street    ,illustration3 
,,plate ,,xi    ,,foreground ,,study    
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xii            
,,chepstow ,,bridge ,,and ,,castle      
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xiii    ,,study

 ,,of ,,trees    ,illustration3 ,,plate 
,,xiv    ,,view ,,in ,,north ,,wales    
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xv    ,,early  
,,morning ,,mist    ,illustration3      
,,plate ,,xvi    ,,llanrwst             
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xvii           
,,hardwick    ,illustration3 ,,plate    
,,xviii    ,,near ,,birmingham          
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xix    ,,autumn
 ,,woods    ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xx 
,,kirkby ,,stephen    ,illustration3    
,,plate ,,xxi    ,,mountain ,,and       
,,stream1 ,,north ,,wales               
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxii           
,,architectural ,,study                 
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxiii          
,,goodrich ,,castle    ,illustration3   
,,plate ,,xxiv    ,,near ,,kenilworth   
,,castle    ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxv
    ,,the ,,salt ,,marsh                
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxvi    ,,knole
 ,,house1 ,,kent    ,illustration3      
,,plate ,,xxvii    ,,the ,,beach        
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxviii         
,,windy ,,weather    ,illustration3     

,,plate ,,xxix    ,a ,,study ,,of       
,,trees    ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxx 
,,carnarvon ,,castle    ,illustration3  
,,plate ,,xxxi    ,,on ,,the ,,moor     
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxxii          
,,clapham1 ,,yorkshire    ,illustration3
 ,,plate ,,xxxiii    ,,the ,,hill ,,side
    ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxxiv      
,,low ,,tide    ,illustration3 ,,plate  
,,xxxv    ,,llaugharne ,,castle1        
,,carmarthen ,,bay    ,illustration3    
,,plate ,,xxxvi    ,,sketch ,,of ,,rocks
 ,,and ,,castle    ,illustration3       
,,plate ,,xxxvii    ,,dutch ,,coast     
,,scene    ,illustration3 ,,plate       
,,xxxviii    ,,scene ,,in ,,north       
,,wales    ,illustration3 ,,plate       
,,xxxix    ,,near ,,radlett             
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xl    ,,near   
,,kenilworth    ,illustration3 ,,plate  
,,xli    ,,rotterdam    ,illustration3  
,,plate ,,xlii    ,,trefkiw1 ,,near     
,,llanrwst    ,illustration3 ,,plate    
,,xliii    ,,the ,,inn ,,yard           
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xliv    ,,old  

,,westminster